Moments
by PortiaBennet
Summary: There are some days a girl never forgets, and every single one of them seemed to involve James bloody Potter. A series of interrelated oneshots revolving Lily Evans and James Potter.
1. First Hogsmeade Trip

**First Hogsmeade Trip**

**Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Harry Potter. **

Sometimes she loved being thirteen. Thirteen was the age of invincibility, where the responsible child was _finally_ deemed a teenager. Oh the things one could do at thirteen: stay up past nine, borrow more than five books, and visit the local village. Yes, Lily Evans was _finally_ allowed into Hogsmeade, the overtly romanticised, rose-tinted village solely reserved for those age thirteen and up. However, sometimes thirteen was the pits. After all, thirteen was a diabolical time of spots, and adolescent development that was no longer hidden by her summer robes. Unfortunately, those pains were the least of her thirteen year old woes.

* * *

The weather was miserable, hardly the thirty degree day she envisioned for her first Hogsmeade vision. Still, nothing could wipe the goofy grin of Lily Evans cherubic face, as she linked arms with her best friends Ariadne Pendragon and Aisha Cahn. Today was going to be brilliant, they had decided, nothing could go wrong. As they walked behind a gaggle of thirteen year old Hufflepuffs, they verbally created an itinerary.

"I'm telling you, we have to go to the Three Broomsticks. Butterbeer will rock your world Evans."

"Hush Ariadne, we'll get your drinks later, we simply must visit the post office."

"The post office?" Lily and Ariadne asked together, with equal looks of distaste.

"Oh yes. The undeliverable mail is up for keeps, I can use it for my Romance novel!" Aisha sighed wistfully, "Just imagine the war-time love letters that remain. I wish someone would write me a love letter."

"We'll let Peter Pettigrew know you're interested." Ariadne teased. The three cried out in mock horror, deciding to let their feet lead them around.

* * *

Of course, Honeydukes ended up being the first destination for every third year student. Who could resist the walls covered in sugary sweets? Lily ran around, her eyes struggling to take in everything: ice mice, floating chocoballs, sugar quills and so much more. She felt like she was in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, minus the oompa loompas. After what felt like hours of testing sweets and purchasing an unhealthy amount of lollies, Lily and her friends wandered into the three Broomsticks, hungry for real food.

"My brother says that Rosmerta makes _the best_ chips." Ariadne boasted, dragging them forward.

"Oh my, look how crowded it is, maybe we should come back?" Aisha asked taking in the packed pub. It was dreadfully busy, with everyone crammed inside trying to avoid the storm. Wizards were conjuring their own chairs, witches hollering for service, as the poor, stunning barmaid tried her best. Ariadne was adamant that they stay, and rather than suffer her wrath, Lily and Aisha complied. In a mixture of both good and bad fortune, the Gryffindor's spotted a few empty seats... next to the Marauders.

"I'd rather leave." Lily stated, making eye contact with James Potter. He was currently challenging Sirius to a 'chugging' contest, spilling more Butterbeer than he managed to actually drink.

"Oh no you don't Evans. Use that magic hair of yours and con James into ordering for us." Ariadne winked, forcing the others forward. When they reached the table, a prime position considering the state of the pub, James had already pushed Remus to the side, clearing a space.

"You can sit next to me if you want Evans, Remus doesn't mind." James chimed, running his hands through his hair. Sirius coughed out a "smooth one Casanova", which lead to an elbow in the ribs.

"You've got froth on your face Potter." Lily scoffed, allowing Ariadne to slide into the seat first. James rolled his eyes and subtly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The six made awkward conversation, talking casually of Zonkos, the Beatles and the horrid weather.

"Last summer was so brilliant, don't you think? Remember how hot it was?" Aisha asked

"Ay," Remus agreed between sips of butterbeer, "It was on a Tuesday wasn't it." They all howled with laughter, throwing back their heads in a typical thirteen year old fashion. Oh to be young and carefree. Eventually, Peter returned to the table, arms laden with trays of fish & chips, pretzels and salt & vinegar crisps. The perfect feast. In a completely unsubtle effort of subterfuge, Lily and Ariadne insisted that Peter sit next to Aisha, much to the blondes chagrin.

"So Petey, can I call you Petey? What's your opinion of letters?" Lily teased

* * *

Later, once the Gryffindors had had their fill, Lily proposed that they separate, stating she had to visit Severus Snape.

James frowned. Snivellus. He couldn't understand why she wanted to hang out with _him?_ Snape was mates with Mulciber, and Snape never washed his hair and...and... James was honestly _trying_ to be friends with her. Why didn't Lily like him? He liked her well enough, when she wasn't stomping about, did she even consider him at all? James really didn't want Lily to go near Snape, yet he remained uncharacteristically quiet on the matter. He'd rather hide under his invisibility cloak, trailing her like an invisible shadow, rather than asking her not to go.

* * *

She met up with Sev at the Shrieking Shack, the wind carrying her hair behind her. The decrepit building was awe-inspiring, ravished by the years of inhabitation. To Lily it was beautiful, to others scary, to poor Remus Lupin – a dreadful reality.

"Y'know", she whispered mischievously, "If Christopher Reeve where here, I'd be doing some shrieking of my own."

"Ew, Lily that's disgusting" Snape frowned, "I don't know why you're talking like that. You sound like a child, or worse, a Marauder."

She frowned, staring down at her waterlogged boots. "Right, yeah, sorry. Just a joke."

The silence surrounding them grew thicker, swirling and choking the air. Yet Lily was resilient, she would turn this around anyway. This would be _The Best Hogsmeade Trip Ever!_

"Do you dare me to break in?" She asked, already climbing the gate.

"Don't even think about it Lil, it's supposed to be haunted!"

"Sev, we go to a school filled with ghosts." She chuckled walking closer and closer still. His protests were drowned out by the sound of her heart beating in her chest. She'd always been a fan of the Boo Radley game when there was another person to hold her hand, like Petunia, but for Merlin's sake, she was thirteen! If she couldn't do this now, she never would. Her hand inched closer to the door handle, and she began to turn it.

* * *

"Shit!" Remus exclaimed, standing by James as they watched Lily struggle with the door. "I left my journal in there. Shit, James she's going to know I'm a werewolf. What if she tells someone? What if – where are you goi-?"

James had already sprinted, still wearing the cloak up to the shack. A million questions whirred through his mind: how would he stop her? What would she think? Why hadn't he teased Remus for having a journal? Yet none of that seemed to matter, he just had to get there in time.

Just as Lily had managed to force the door open, an invisible James pulled her back.

"What on Earth?" She muttered.

"uh, I'm a ghost, boo"

"Nice try Potter, I can see your ridiculous red shoelaces. Get out of the way, I'm going in." Lily smirked. So much for anonymity.

James' protests were ignored, so he did the only thing he could think of. He tugged Lily by the arm (careful not to pull it from its socket), smashed her body up against his own, and pressed a sloppy, untrained kiss to her lips.

For a mere moment, he could've sworn she kissed him back. That fleeting instant was crushed by the right hook that hit him in the eye.

"My new glasses"

"You. Kissed. Me. Ugh, you're a jerk James Potter." Lily stalked off, walking over to a glaring Snivellus. They proclaimed that Hogsmeade was so overrated.

Lily decided that she officially hated being thirteen, and James Potter.

**A/N**

**Sorry, I know that you all hate authors notes as much as I do, so I'll make this brief. This isn't my favourite chapter, but I felt it was somewhat necessary before we dove into the story. Next update (which I hope is significantly better) should be out by Wednesday. Review, if you feel like it. **


	2. First Detention

**First Ever Detention**

Sometimes he thought that being friends with a werewolf definitely had its advantages. Of course, at the age of twelve, werewolves were undeniably _cool; _James Potter used to dream of intimidating those prats in Slytherin and making girls fall in love with him. Then he grew up. Most of the time, being mates with a werewolf got him into trouble. It wasn't Remus Lupin's fault, James just happened to be a slight moron who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, because of said werewolf. However this time, James Potter dragged Lily Evans down with him, and for that lycanthropy definitely had its perks.

* * *

Prowling around the library at night was not a typical habit for James Potter. While he enjoyed the odd _Muggles of Mayhem_ novel, James favoured the Quidditch pitch to the dusted shelves of Hogwarts. Tonight was not the typical night for frivolity and flying. No, tonight James Potter was going to break into the Restricted Section and find the tutorial on becoming Animagus.

Lily Evans had a similar endeavour in mind. Severus had let slip the truth of Remus' lycanthropy in a desperate attempt to regain her favour; yet Lily only felt pity for the Slytherin, and compassion for her ailed friend. Being an adept brewer of potions, Lily had snuck into the library this very selfsame night, attempting to research the development of Wolfsbane.

* * *

James frowned in annoyance, underneath his invisibility cloak, as he unsuccessfully tried to jimmy the lock. Who in the name of Merlins left tit would make the Restricted Section, so restricted? Even the penknife that he had received from his father couldn't open the damned thing. Why were good deeds so difficult? It had never been this hard sneaking into Dumbledore's office; what secrets were hidden in the library? A dimly glowing lantern caught his eye. James turned slowly, careful not to make a sound, and came face to face with the lovely Lily Evans.

Of course, it was more like face to thin-air, for Evans, who had no notion that Potter had an invisibility cloak, let alone that he was underneath it right at this very moment. She approached the wretched door, to which James smirked; his fifteen year old ego told him that if he couldn't open the door, no one could.

Fifteen year old James Potter was a bit of a nitwit. Lily approached the door, and simply whispered, "alohamora", unlocking the lock and stepping inside. James followed, flabbergasted by her ingenuity. With her brains, charms and womanly assets, Lily Evans was the most perfect girl he had ever seen, and someday she would know it. Until then, the infamous feud between Potter and Evans would continue to haunt the hallowed halls of Hogwarts (much to the dismay of every professor and studious student.)

Remembering his mission, James stopped staring at a certain pair of "assets" on Evans' body, and crept towards the shelves of illicit magic and terrifying beasts. Silently he snorted, overwhelmed by the idea that Nancy-boy Lupin was _terrifying._ James had certainly faced greater dangers, due to his knack for mischief; Snivellus' underwear, Slughorn's bad breath and an illegal game of real-life hungry-hungry-hippogriff.

One such terror that James had yet to face, (though surely would, in mere moments time) was the wrath of a sleep deprived Lily Evans. Oh he had faced her fury at breakfast, between classes and after exams, but never in her most agitated tea-less state. Not yet, anyway.

Lily was having a significantly better time searching for books, after consulting her potions professor on the subject. She'd remained hypothetical, stating she simply wanted a challenge, to which he advised _Most Potente Potions_. Unfortunately, Slughorn had also insisted that he would _not_ sign her permission slip, for such a gruesome book, until she was of age. Still, she knew the title, and possessed an aptitude for stealth that rivalled the Marauders; meaning that getting her hands on the book was not difficult at all. Walking out of the library, for another matter, was particularly difficult, especially for a clumsy redhead.

* * *

With the book tucked firmly under her arm, Lily turned to leave the restricting library, in favour of her warm bed. At the exact same time, an invisible James Potter had the same idea (he had resorted to taking _all_ the books on his topic) which resulted in a crash between the two Gryffindors. Lily had accidently trod on the back of James' cloak, revealing his identity, and sending the books airborne. Immediately, the crash alerted Madame Pince (who slept in her office nearby), and sent the librarian running over in a state of fury. At this point, Lily was lying on top of a winded James Potter, awarding him a lovely sight of heaving breasts and tousled red hair, as well as the discomfort of another person's body weight. Still, he was a horny bloke, and sacrifices needed to be made.

"Alright, Evans?" James began, but his question was drowned out by the shrieking and hollering of the mental librarian. Their books were confiscated, library privileges revoked, and a week's worth of detentions instated; effective immediately.

* * *

The forbidden forest at night was eerily quiet. The looming trees were cloaked in darkness, with sweeping mists suffocating the sky. Essentially, the forest looked as foreboding and forbidden as its namesake, a fact that Mr Filch seemed to neglect with glee.

For all her courage and bravery, Lily had a primitive fear of the dark, possibly ingrained from her past life as an unsuccessful bat (she had flown into a wall, mere moments after birth and died). Still, she would never let James Potter act the hero, come hell or high water (or dark depressing forests). Filch rambled on about leaving them there overnight, with no supervision, as a testament to their wretched rule-breaking. So now, not only did Lily Evans have to endure darkness, she had to put up with Potter's company until daybreak. Briefly, she wondered if Filch would offer a more suitable punishment; a fight to the death, or cleaning ogre snot came to mind.

James was ecstatic. A whole night to wander the forest, with his lady love by his side! This was just like _Muggles of Mayhem: wandering doom_; where Doctor Hamish Lorcan found the lost princess in the Amazon rainforest. Except Lily wasn't exactly in need of rescue, and snakes weren't the most terrifying thing in the forest; as they were about to discover.

* * *

"AAGH EVANS, IT'S BEHIND YOU!" James screamed, startling the poor ginger. Lily abruptly whipped around; wand in hand, with a plethora of defensive spells in mind. The terrifying best in question? a toad. A smelly, warty toad that had scared a sixteen year old moron out of his mind. Oh she would never let him live this down. Lily cackled as James reddened.

"Shut up. It looked bigger by wandlight. I thought it was an alligator."

"Have you ever seen an alligator Potter?"

"Well no, but there's a first time for everything isn't there? Besides, that toad looks shifty, maybe it's an animagus Death Eater"

"Or maybe it's a charming princess waiting for a kiss... Muggle story, never mind" She shook her head looking at his astonished face.

"Muggles are so bizarre." He breathed, as Lily walked off in a huff. James briefly turned to the toad, "sorry, I've already got a princess to deal with."

* * *

After hours of aimless wandering (honestly, what was the point of all this), James found a suitable place to sit and rest. It appeared to be a deserted campsite, with a small fire-pit and smooth rocks, written in ancient texts. To Lily, it was just a place to rest her aching feet, but to James, it was an ongoing adventure.

"Stop looking at me Potter." Lily hissed, as she ignited the fire pit with her wand.

"I can't help it Evans, you're beautiful by moon-glow." James exclaimed.

"James" She warned, eyes growing wide. In the distance, howls were heard.

"Honestly Evans, it's not as if –"

"POTTER, THE MOON IS FULL!" She yelled, grabbing him by the arm.

"So?" He asked stupidly.

"So, genius, Remus is out here somewhere. As a werewolf. He won't exactly recognise us as friends, will he?" Lily insisted, tugging James towards the trees, as the howls grew louder.

James began to protest, insisting that the Shrieking Shack was firmly locked, until a cold shiver ran down his spine. The Snape incident. The door had all but shattered when Snape got in last month, and no one had repaired it yet. Remus was out. Now _that_ was terrifying.

"Can werewolves climb?" Lily asked as James boosted her up into a tree. She pulled him up beside her, her small hands clasping his own.

"I sure hope not."

Higher and higher they climbed, sweating and nearly slipping in desperation to avoid a grisly death. They had reached a stable branch, just narrowly missing the starving wolf. For the rest of their lives, Lily and James would remember those seven agonising hours, spent in the tree, looking into the wolf's yellow eyes. For the rest of their lives, they would remember every panicked second spent, clutching onto each other.

Of course, each remembered it differently.

James would say, at a later time, that he had shielded Lily with his arms, soothingly whispering words of comfort to her, in a heroic manly effort. He would drunkenly note his bravery, willing to sacrifice himself for the fair maidens' safety.

Lily would say, at a later time, that she had cunningly protected Potter – her mortal enemy – by besting the beast in a matter of wits. She would note her ingenuity, in a state of intoxication, in distracting the wolf with her wand work.

Remus, the only unbiased source, would never say (for he had forgotten once the lunar spell broke), that the truth of the matter was that both Lily and James were lying cowards. They had spent the night sobbing, praying to every known deity and pledging to become vegetarians if they survived the ordeal. None of these facts were ever remembered or retold; and so promises of worship and animal-loving remained unfulfilled.

But, despite the conflicting accounts, one truth prevailed through every retelling. This was the night of Lily and James' real first kiss. Well, this was the 4:30 am of Lily and James' first real kiss. Apparently, surviving a terror is quite romantic, and so, after safely climbing down their tree sanctuary, Lily pressed her chapped lips against James'.

Being mates with a werewolf, was _so_ worth it.


	3. First Date

Sometimes she wished that she had followed Petunia's advice and had just been normal. After all, what was wrong with normality? Normal girls didn't return from their first dates half an hour after midnight, covered in pasta and blood, now did they? But then again, normal girls didn't get a chance to snog fit blokes like James Potter; and for that reason alone, normality could be damned.

* * *

It was as fine a day as anyone could hope for really. The April sun had emerged early, casting an excellent spell of spring sunshine. If she had a knack for divination, Lily Evans may have seen this as a blessing, but alas she did not. Instead, Lily Evans had little faith in the spirits above, particularly when she was sneaking out of Hogwarts and breaking at least ninety school rules. However, she did have faith in one James Potter, a rugged young chap who had been getting away with this sort of tom-foolery for years (much to her younger self's dismay).

Lily could only have been described as a nervous wreck. Her hands kept tugging at her simple cotton dress, as she mentally rehearsed the lie she would deliver to her roommates. Unlike James, who didn't give a whit about anything really, Lily was rather cautious, and a dismal liar. But today was different. Those spirits that she had barely even contemplated were in action, it was if they _wanted_ this date to happen. And unfortunately, they got their way.

Creeping out of the bathroom, Lily strode past Aisha and Ariadne with a glint of determination in her green eyes.

"Where are you off to then?" Aisha inquired, glancing up from her novel, _Cauldron's of Love_.

"Oh, I um, I fancied a bout of potion making in the dungeons. It's a particularly tricky brew, which requires my full attention, so don't wait up." Lily stammered

"Only you would consider extra potion making. Alright, we'll see you later then." With a wave, Aisha returned to her novel.

Lily's smile grew mischievously, and she all but ran out of the dormitory.

"What was _that_ all about?" Ariadne asked, "Don't wait up? What on Earth is Evans on?"

"I bet she's shagging someone." Aisha stated matter-of-factly, "Someone lush too, judging by that dress. We'll just have to ambush her when she gets back."

* * *

Stealing out of the common room five minutes later, James Potter headed towards the rendezvous point. He hadn't faced a similar conversation with his mates, because Merlin only knew where they were; which had made his journey much easier. As he reached the portrait of Mariette the unmarried (a ghastly looking Slytherin, who ensured gender equality) he hoped that Lily hadn't wandered off, or been caught.

"Potter" she hissed, quickly casting the disillusionment charm off, "I'm over here you git". James beamed up at the girl, who had crouched between a set of stone pillars.

"Alright Evans?" He grinned. She rolled her eyes at his antics, yet darted to his side and placed a kiss against his cheek.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise", he winked. According to Sirius, who often proclaimed dating advice whist under the influence, _birds love surprises_. Of course Lily Evans was not the typically bird, and after this date nearly hexed anyone who uttered the word 'surprise'. Grabbing her arm, James tugged Lily into Filch's office.

"If you think even for one second that we are going to shag on Filch's desk, than so help me James Potter I am going to hex your bits off." She insisted.

"Relax Evans, we're only here because of the vanishing cabinet."

"Let me guess, we step inside this 'magical' cabinet, and all our clothes vanish"

"Well, maybe if you're lucky. Just trust me alright?" James opened the door, and pulled her inside with him. For a few moments they stood there, a tangled assortment of limbs, compressed in a powerless wooden box.

"Well, it's definitely not bigger on the inside." Lily muttered unimpressed. However, the cabinet appeared to dislike her tone of dejection, and in a fit of rage showed the teenagers just how powerful it could be. In a flash the two were transported from the caretakers' dingy office, and into the magnificent home of James Potter.

Lily's eyes widened as she stepped out of the box, and saw the elaborate estate about her. Of course, living in a castle for six years had slightly dulled her senses to exquisite manors, yet this home was undoubtedly lovely. She immediately socked James in the arm.

"What was that for?" He protested. Lily groaned about being underdressed, to which James insisted, "You could always get out of those clothes, and into my bed." Needless to say, he was punched again.

* * *

Back at Hogwarts, Peter Pettigrew was running frantically around the castle, looking for his best mates. His floppy brown hair bounced as he scrambled down the corridors, insisting that James Potter needed rescuing. After what felt like decades of searching, he stumbled upon Sirius and Remus in the library, engaged in a game of wizards chess.

"JAMES IS DROWNING" he bellowed (much to the librarian's dismay) "We have to rescue him."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "James isn't swimming in the lake you tit, he's unconscious in the hospital wing. Evans told me this morning that he tried to look up her skirt, so she hexed him."

"Wait, what? Lily told me that James had detention with Slughorn" Remus insisted. "Why did you think he was drowning Pete?"

The three of them frowned as Peter muttered, "James told me he was going for a swim right after breakfast. He didn't return, so I assumed he sank. We all know that you're supposed to wait at least half an hour –"

"What we all know is that we've been had. Remus, Peter, I think it's time we did a little investigating."

* * *

James led Lily on a tour around his house, spending an unquestionably long time in his room pointing out various surfaces of _comfort_. However, when he was not being suggestive, Lily found him sincere, and was rather enjoying his company. Until they reached the kitchens, that is.

The omnipresent spirits, whom had been neglected by Lily and James, revelled in this particular instant. See, as James prepared to kindly ask his house-elf to prepare a picnic basket to be shared with his lovely date, he realised the importance of a scheduled appearance. Most people are aware that by making an appointment, fate is reigned in, and cannot allow hell to break loose. James Potter _was not_ one of those people.

Lottie, the senior elf, waddled over in horror to Master Potter and his freckly guest. She reserved judgement, for it was not a house-elf's place, yet thought that perhaps the young Master was up to no good.

"Blimey, you've gotten fat Lottie"

"James" Lily hissed, "Don't be rude. What the dunce was trying to say is could we please have some spaghetti?"

Lottie decided that she rather liked the ginger guest and hoped she would come around more often. The elf busied herself; in preparing the meal, ignoring her stomach pains all the while as the young lovers talked. However, all too soon the pain became unbearable and the little elf cried out, crashing to the ground and taking the table with her. Pasta flew everywhere, with sauce splattering all over James and Lily.

"James do something!" Lily insisted. Looking frantic and bug eyed James began to sing a nursery rhyme, as the elf had done for him as a child. Evidently, Lily was not amused. It appeared that Lottie had not gotten fat, as James previously suggested, rather she had gotten pregnant; and had chosen this moment to give birth. Thus, James realised the importance of booking in.

With no other house-elves on hand, no owls to contact medical-witches and the undeniable fact that the two students would be suspended if caught out of school, the responsibility fell upon them. James and Lily were going to deliver a baby house-elf.

Despite usually reacting well under pressure, neither James nor Lily was equipped for child birth. Lily tore the table cloth into strips, and boiled water, before realising she had no bloody idea what to do with it. James had a similar useless approach, and merely stood with his hands outstretched, preparing to catch the baby like a Quaffle.

"Isn't there a spell for this kind of thing?" they both shouted at each other. Lottie realised, house elf code be damned, that her master and his guest were rubbish and that she'd have been better off on her own. Sensing _their_ dismay, Lottie began muttering words of comfort, and coaching Lily.

The frantic redhead held the Elf's hand, and courageously told her to "push" praying to every God she had heard of, that this would work. Eventually it did, though Lily came to the conclusion that she would rather it didn't.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?" She shrieked.

"Calm down Eva... OH MY AAAGH, I AM ADOPTING. ADOPTING."

It was difficult to tell who was crying more: the squalling newborn, the prideful mother, or James in his desperation to self-obliviate.

* * *

Hours later, once the kitchen had been bleached within an inch of its life, they began to settle down. There was something oddly beautiful about the baby house-elf, wrapped in their sauce-covered tablecloth. After congratulating Lottie and insisting that she inform no-one of their visit, James escorted Lily out of that _prison_. In an uncomfortable silence they squeezed into the vanishing cabinet, and returned to Hogwarts, seeking the nearest lavatory. They had not regained the favour of Lady Luck, and were almost caught on three occasions by unsavoury professors. Finally, after sneaking around the entire school, the chanced upon an unlocked prefect's bathroom, and rushed inside.

Unfortunately, they had not predetermined who would shower first, and both pushed towards the stall.

"Move Potter" Lily snarled

"Make me" He retorted, gently shoving her out of the way.

"I deserve this more than you, you insufferable git. It's your fault I'm in this mess."

James pretended to consider this, and allowed Lily to step in front of him. As she smiled, he picked up his wand and immobilised her momentarily.

"Sorry dear"

James knew he would pay for this, yet the desire to be free of the horrid stench that clung to him was greater than the wrath of Lily Evans. After a lengthy wash, using up most of the hot water, he dried and dressed, and unfroze his girlfriend. She was positively rabid. Lily forced her way past James and into the shower, swearing all the while. Yet the soothing stream of water convinced her to delay the murder, after all, it was more of a Tuesday task. Instead, once she was clean, Lily took the courageous step, pushed James against the wall and began to snog him with vigour.

Upon stepping out of the lavatory, together, they were lectured by McGonagall for _unsettling behaviour_ and were awarded a week's worth of detentions. However, they hardly cared, all they really wanted was sleep. Creeping back into the common room, Lily insisted that _she_ would be planning their next date (if Potter was so lucky). They marvelled in the fact that after all the disaster, they hadn't truly been caught.

That is, until they stepped towards the dormitories and noticed the furtive glances of their best friends.


	4. First Time

**First time...**

Sometimes James Potter wished he could keep his mouth shut. To just cast a spell that prevented him from uttering terrible things that would get him, and the parties involved into trouble. However, if such a spell did exist, it was not in general knowledge and therefore on more than one occasion James Potter had a terrible case of foot-in-mouth syndrome. As it appears, so did Lily Evans. But then again, sometimes James came out with utterly suave comments that not only saved him from trouble, but brought about brilliant things.

* * *

James Potter reckoned that he was the luckiest bloke alive. He had recently graduated from Hogwarts as both Quidditch Captain and Headboy, and had somehow conned Lily Evans into 'going steady'. While most people assumed that James was a pro at brewing amortentia, or excelled in the imperious curse, the truth of the matter was that he was irresistible (or so he said). Others assumed that it was not James who was brewing/cursing, but rather that _Lily Evans_ had forced James Potter to be in love with her; to which the girl in question would rebuff, stating that she was simply irresistible.

All things considered, James Potter and Lily Evans were both irresistible and head-over-heels for each other. Within every relationship are a series of firsts: the good, the bad, and the downright sexy. In the opinions of both James and Lily (who were rather good at disagreeing) last night was undeniably a case of the latter.

It began like any other night; a dinner date in Camden (because they were bloody awful at cooking) followed by one-to-many drinks and a slightly intoxicated good night kiss by Lily's front door. Usually, Lily would sneak inside, careful not to wake her sleeping family, and James would apparate home. However, Mr Evans had been invited along on a company fishing trip, and had taken his wife, eldest daughter and her fiancé with him. The house was empty.

Something primal had stirred in both Lily and James, soon one kiss wasn't enough, and James was forced through the door and onto the plush sofa. Between heated kisses, clashes of teeth and accidentally-on-purpose stroking ("sorry Evans, didn't see where my hands were") the pair had barely managed to make it to the bedroom. At this time, a tiny portion of James' mind was warning him not to say anything, yet he could barely resist the temptation. Luckily this was not an instance of foot-in-mouth syndrome; instead it was a rare moment of suavity that allowed James to reap the awards.

Of course, then his mouth was put to work, but that's a story for another day.

* * *

However, the omnipresent spirits that James and Lily never seemed to consider had decided that one good night of fair fortune was more than enough. James was slow on the uptake, and perceiving that there was not a damn thing wrong in the world, apparated over to Sirius' new place.

Strolling through the doors, James loudly proclaimed "Well Lily and I _finally_ did it", waiting for his best mates jealousy. Yet instead of the predicted cries of outrage, James' declaration was met with laughter and the voice of a much older man. A very recognisable older man. His father.

"_What_ did you and Lily do son?" Charles Potter asked, as he installed Sirius' cabinets. James felt his grin falter, as his father's hazel eyes bore into his own. Hastily searching for a lie, for anything else than telling his conservative father that he had banged his girlfriend, James let his wild mouth run.

"We decided to get married."

Sirius fainted.

* * *

Across town, Lily was having a much smoother morning. She had woken up early, still basking in the afterglow of sex, and had immediately owled Ariadne to warn that she was coming over. After all, how dumb would you be to show up unannounced and just declare your dirty actions to the world?

* * *

The words were out of his mouth before he could consider what he was saying. Oh Merlin, had he really just told his father and his best friend that he was getting married? He was nineteen!

"Congratulations Son, I always knew you had it in you."

James was momentarily thrilled. He had his father's approval...for something that wasn't even real. James figured that now he'd have to marry Lily, and all things considered, he kind of wanted to. Now all he had to do was get her to agree.

* * *

The instant Lily arrived at Ariadne's flat, her best friend had known. Of course Ariadne described her profound knowledge as a part of the _best friends' code_, when in fact Lily Evans was walking incriminating evidence of 'the deed.' The girl had foregone her morning shower in haste to see Ariadne, and still bore the signs; rumpled hair, smudged makeup and her skirt tucked into her red knickers. When this became evident, she tossed a pillow at her mate ("I'm burning that Evans, I know where your hands have been) and insisted she was taking a shower.

Once she was presentable, Lily sat with Ariadne, devouring a tub of Ben and Jerry's and determined that it was the start of another perfect day. The two of them had giggled relentlessly as she described a shirtless James Potter, and his pitiful attempt at dirty talk.

"He did not try role playing as a Muggle cop" Ariadne exclaimed

"Oh Ar, he did! He thought they were called cots and somehow handcuffed his hand to his leg. Then, because we lost the key, we had to make do" Lily snickered into her ice-cream.

The door suddenly barged open, causing the Witches to leap to their feet, wands in hand. Of course, it wasn't Death Eaters, it was Lily's idiot boyfriend, the rest of the marauders, and for some strange reason, Charles Potter.

"Hello Lily, Ariadne" James greeted cautiously.

"Officer Potter" Ariadne replied, quirking her lip up into a smile.

"What are you doing here James, with all of your mates?" Lily asked frozen.

"Why, James told us the good news, and we came to congratulate you!" Charles chimed in.

Lily looked at James in horror, "you told them all that you and I – "

"Got engaged" James cut through. "Sorry dear, may I speak with you in the kitchen."

Before Lily could protest, James grabbed her hand and dragged her into Ariadne's cramped kitchen. He cast the strongest muffliatio charm, and braced himself for his oncoming death. Why had he chosen the kitchen of knives, saucepans and rolling pins. Really, he should have dragged her into the linen closet, there were no dangerous objects there.

"What, did you do" Lily hissed. As James hastily relayed the story, altering minor details so that Sirius would bear the brunt of the punishment, Remus escorted Charles home, telling him to spread the word to Lily's future mother in law.

"- and that's how we got here. So what do you say, Lily, want to get married?"

Lily was barely given a second to process this odd request, before the other Marauders burst into the kitchen.

"Blimey Evans, you must be one hell of a shag, if he wants to marry you" Ariadne winked.

"THEY DID _WHAT?_" Sirius and Peter exclaimed.

"YOU WANT ME TO _WHAT_?" Lily yelled at James.

"I'm going to make things clear," Remus said, "Lily and James fornicated, last night. James lied to his father and said he was marrying Lily, but Lily didn't know this. Now he is proposing, rather poorly if I may add. Since we're up to date, does anyone else want a cuppa?"

**A/N**

**aaaand we're done. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. It's been fun.**


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